An electric vehicle (EV), also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses an electric motor for propulsion. Electric vehicles may include all-electric vehicles where the electric motor is the sole source of power, and hybrid electric vehicles that include an auxiliary power source in addition to the electric motor. In an electric vehicle, energy may be stored in one or more batteries (located in the electric vehicle) to power the electric motor. When the stored energy decreases, the batteries may be charged (or recharged) by connecting the vehicle to an external charger. As current flows, components in the external charger and the battery may get heated due to joule heating. The vehicle cooling system may cool the components of battery, and an air handling system may force air past the heated components of the external charger to cool them. Typically, the heated air is exhausted into the atmosphere thereby wasting the heat extracted from the components. An increase in efficiency and cost savings may be achieved by harnessing the waste heat produced during charging to do useful work.